SIN Bin: 2004, Problem 1

By Department Faculty

The acceleration of gravity on the surface of Mars is 3.72 m/s². Mars has a diameter of 6790 km and its period of revolution is 24.72 hours, a bit longer than an Earth day. How far from the centre of Mars does a satellite need to be positioned in the equatorial plane so that it remains stationary to an observer on that planet? We might call it a "Marosynchronous" satellite. You may assume that the strength of gravity form a planet is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from its centre. Answer in km.

1. 20500
2. 25400
3. 8340
4. 42200
5. 746000